Tag Archives: Holly Varni

If You Liked . . . The Words We Lost

31 Oct

My book club absolutely loved The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese. This thought-provoking contemporary novel checked all our boxes — characters to love, a subtle, yet strong faith thread, and an ending we all approved of. 😉 If you liked it too, here are a few more books to read.

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

Cora Matthews’s life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever “normal” is. 

It certainly isn’t what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family’s dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance–with a surprising condition attached–Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her. 

As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.

Roots of Wood And Stone by Amanda Wen

This historic home holds the keys to their destiny . . . and their hearts.

Abandoned at birth, her family roots a mystery, historical museum curator Sloane Kelley has dedicated her life to making sure others know theirs. When a donor drops off a dusty old satchel, she doesn’t expect much from the common artifact . . .until she finds real treasure inside: a nineteenth-century diary.Now she’s on the hunt to find out more.

Garrett Anderson just wanted to clean out his grandmother’s historic but tumbledown farmhouse before selling it to fund her medical care. With her advancing Alzheimer’s, he can’t afford to be sentimental about the family home. But his carefully ordered plan runs up against two formidable obstacles: Sloane, who’s fallen in love with both the diaries and the house, and his own heart, which is irresistibly drawn to Sloane.

When He Found Me by Victoria Bylin

An injured athlete with a chip on his shoulder. A single mom with a devastating secret. Will history haunt them, or can love set them free? 

Once a strong Christian, third baseman Shane Riley lost his faith the night he injured his knee in a freak car accident. Determined to return to professional baseball and to find the sister he treated badly, Shane retreats to Refuge, Wyoming. There he meets Melissa June “MJ” Townsend, a single mom with an adorable son and a troubled heart.

MJ wants nothing to do with the handsome athlete—no doubt a womanizer considering the stories in the news. But when a mistake results in Shane renting her garage apartment, they become friends. That friendship blossoms into something deep and pure, leaving MJ with a painful secret to tell. Even more complicated, MJ discovers an unexpected tie to Shane’s missing sister—a wounded woman facing a life-or-death decision of her own.

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Top 10 Tuesday — Cozy Reads

21 Oct

Happy Tuesday! This week’s TTT topic is Cozy/Atmospheric reads. When I see those two descriptors I think of very different types of books. Cozy makes me think of small communities, quirky characters, and a feel-good plot, regardless of genre. Atmospheric reads, to me, are ones in which the setting plays a big part of the plot, often setting the stage for spooky goings-on. I am going to focus on cozy books this week, and for next week’s Halloween Freebie, atmospheric novels.

For more cozy/atmospheric books, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Cozy Reads

The Christmas Tree Farm by Melody Carlson

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

The Gardins of Edin by Rosey Lee

Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon

The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Memory Lane by Becky Wade

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

Some Like It Scot by Pepper Basham

Stealing Magnolias by Leslie Kirby DeVooght

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner

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If You Liked . . . The Light on Horn Island

31 Jul

The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse was a big hit with my book club. We all loved it! If you are looking for multi-generational women’s fiction with some mystery and history, then this book is for you! If you have already read it and would like more books like it, here are a few reading recommendations.

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

Cora Matthews’s life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever “normal” is. 

It certainly isn’t what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family’s dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance–with a surprising condition attached–Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her. 

As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.

A Place to Land by Lauren K. Denton

Violet Figg and her sister Trudy have lived a quiet life in Sugar Bend, Alabama, since a night forty years ago that stole Trudy’s voice and cemented Violet’s role as her sister’s fierce and loyal protector. Now Trudy spends her days making sculptures from found objects and speaking through notes written on scraps of paper, while Violet runs their art shop, monitors bird activity up and down the water, and tries not to think of the one great love she gave up to keep her sister safe.

Eighteen-year-old Maya knows where everyone else belongs, but she’s been searching for her own place since her grandmother died seven years ago. Moving in and out of strangers’ houses has left her exhausted. After seeing a flyer on a gas station window for a place called Sugar Bend, Maya chooses to follow the strange pull she feels and finds herself on the doorstep of an art shop called Two Sisters.

When a boat rises to the surface of Little River in the middle of the night, the present and no-longer-buried past collide, and the future becomes uncertain for Maya, Violet, and Trudy. As history creeps continuously closer to the present and old secrets come to light, the sisters must decide to face the truth of what happened that night forty years ago, or risk losing each other and those they’ve come to love.

The Songs That Could Have Been by Amanda Wen

After a tailspin in her late teens, Lauren Anderson’s life is finally back on track. Her battle with bulimia is under control, her career is taking off, and she’s surrounded by a loving family. Then a chance meeting with Carter Douglas, her first love and the man who broke her heart, leads to old feelings returning with new strength. And suddenly her well-balanced world is thrown off kilter.

Now a TV meteorologist, Carter is determined to make amends with Lauren. After all, she still owns his heart. But the reasons they broke up aren’t lost–and those old demons are forcing him toward the same decision he faced in the past. He isn’t sure he’s courageous enough to make a different choice this time around. 

When Lauren’s elderly grandmother, Rosie, begins having nightmares about a man named Ephraim–a name her family has never heard before–a fascinating and forbidden past love comes to light. As Lauren and Carter work to uncover the untold stories of Rosie’s past in 1950s Wichita, they embark on a journey of forgiveness and second chances that will change their lives–and Rosie’s–forever. Along the way they’ll learn that God wastes nothing, his timing is perfect, and nothing is beyond his grace and redemption.

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Top 10 Tuesday — I’ve Got A Preposition for You!

29 Apr

Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT prompt is a title with the word ___ in it. I decided to go with not just a single word, but with a word group — prepositions! To make it even more fun, I wanted the titles to start with a preposition. It wasn’t as hard as thought it would be to come up with 10, so I stopped myself at a dozen! The books cover a variety of genres, so there should be something for you to love.

For more word-y book lists, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books with A Title Starting with A Preposition

Among The Innocent by Mary Alford

As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin

Before The King by Heather Kaufman

Between The Sea And Sound by Amanda Cox

In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer

Into The Fire by Irene Hannon

Of Love And Treason by Jamie Ogle

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

Over The Edge by Irene Hannon

Under Fire by Lynn H. Blackburn

Up From The Dust by Heather Kaufman

Within These Walls of Sorrow by Amanda Barratt

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TTT — New-to-Me Authors in 2024

28 Jan

I love finding new must-read authors! How about you? Today’s TTT list features those whose books I read for the first time in 2024. I hope you find a new one too!

For more new-to-them authors, visit the bloggers listed at That Artsy Reader Girl.

New-to-Me Authors in 2024

Angela Bell — The Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure

Sarah Brunsvold — The Divine Proverb of Streusel

Angela Carlisle — Secondary Target

Heather Kaufman — Up from The Dust

Rosey Lee — The Gardins of Edin

Hannah Hood Lucero — Already in The Kudzu

Vanessa Miller — The American Queen

Blossom Turner — Christmas at The Jekyll Island Club

Holly Varni — On Moonberry Lake

D. L. Wood — Unintended Target

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Top 10 Tuesday — Most Recent Additions to My TBR Shelves

21 Jan

Have you added a lot of books to your TBR so far this year? My answer is, of course! While I have a seemingly unending reading list, I never shy away from adding just one, or two, or more books. Today TTT tasked bloggers with revealing the latest books that they have added to their shelves. I have focused specifically on my NetGalley shelf, since many of the books have not yet released. I hope my list piques your interest.

For more new books, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Most Recent Additions to My TBR Shelves

Before The King By Heather Kaufman

The Blooming of Delphinium by Holly Varni

Deadly Revenge by Patricia Bradley

Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz

Midnight on The Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin

Over The Edge by Irene Hannon

The Queen’s Cook by Tessa Afshar

Serial Burn by Lynette Eason

Specters in The Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright

Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard

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Book Review — On Moonberry Lake

7 Aug

My book club read On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni in July, and we all loved it! Set in a small town where everyone knows your business and is not afraid to comment on it 😉 , the novel is full of heart and wisdom and some seriously quirky characters and LOL scenes. You are going to love it too!

Cora Matthews’s life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever “normal” is. 

It certainly isn’t what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family’s dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance–with a surprising condition attached–Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her. 

As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.

Holly Varni is a native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, who was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Between the lutefisk, grumpy grandparents, and the crazy neighbor who mowed his lawn wearing pajamas, the seed to becoming a storyteller was planted. She wants to give readers characters they can connect with, admire, laugh at, and most of all love.

She is podcast host of “Moments from Moonberry Lake,” and author of the “Moonberry Lake” series.

In her personal life, she married a University Professor with the same chocolate eyes as her romantic lead. They live on the Central Coast of California with their three sons. The characters of Moonberry Lake and their unique stories came about as she was trying to survive being a boy mom. When not doing laundry or writing, she has the privilege of being a Hospice volunteer, where she sits with the dying and listens to their stories.

My Impressions:

Have you ever wondered if a book that everyone is raving about can live up to the hype? On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni is that book! My book club read it and absolutely loved it! It has so much to recommend it. The setting is small town, busy-body central — both annoying and charming and completely fun. The characters run the gamut of wise and wonderful to slightly quirky to all-out ridiculous (check out the cashier at the local grocery 😉 ). The writing is excellent, and the themes of home and belonging resonated with all the members of my group. Main character Cora is untethered and has spent her life since childhood searching for belonging. The death of her mother allows her to return to the last place she truly felt at home, yet there are so many questions that she doesn’t know where to begin to find healing. Fortunately, she is embraced by a community that offers love and acceptance — a family she has always wanted. On Moonberry Lake is never predictable in its plot, but it does offer a very satisfying conclusion. There is a second novel due out this fall, and we are all impatiently waiting to return to Moonberry Lake.

Highly Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience: Adults.

(I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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If You Liked . . . On Moonberry Lake

31 Jul

My book club really liked On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni. One of the themes of the book is discovering family in a community. Main character, Cora, longed for the connection and closeness of family all her life. In the midst of grief and lostness, she finds it. The fun and funny characters are also a big treat! If you liked this book or are looking for books like it, then here are a few reading recommendations.

The Cedar Key by Stephenia McGee

Could the key to Casey’s future be hidden in someone else’s past?

Casey Adams unexpectedly inherits an old Victorian house full of other people’s memories. Stuck in a quirky little Mississippi town, Casey’s hope for a fresh start died as soon she had to lay the grandmother she’d just met to rest.

But Grandma Ida carried secrets beyond the grave.

Before her death Ida carefully planned a trail of clues to help Casey unlock the Macintyre family secrets and finally explain why they abandoned her. But each of Ida’s letters will only come from Casey’s handsome—and often frustrating—new neighbor. As Casey pieces together the stories behind the objects filling her grandmother’s house, she embarks on a heart-stirring journey that rattles her foundations, ignites her faith, and leads her to a startling discovery that will reshape her future. But only if she can face the lies that have been slowly tearing her apart.

Dearest Dorothy, Are We There Yet? by Charlene Ann Baumbich

On the outskirts of the pastoral Illinois town of Partonville, Illinois, eighty-seven-year-old Dorothy Wetstra lives on her farm, venturing out to drive around in her 1976 Lincoln Continental—affectionately dubbed “The Tank”—play bunco with her pals, or grab a stool at Harry’s counter, where she can stay on top of the town’s latest shenanigans (most of which she is responsible for).
 
But when a visitor comes to town with a proposition, Dorothy finds herself faced with a decision that could change her beloved town, and her life. Before long, her gift for shaking things up may come in handy . . .
 
This is the first in the delightful small-town series starring “the plucky 80-something grandma who’s a demon at the wheel” (Publishers Weekly).

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner

For the first time in his life, Pete has everything to lose.

After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small Montana town of Sleeping Grass–a place he never expected to see again. It’s not the life he dreamed of, but there aren’t many prospects for a high-school dropout like him.

Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he’s back, she’s been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God’s answer to leave her flat on her face–literally–and up to her ears in meddling.

When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she’s willing to pay.

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Top 10 Tuesday — Bookish Goals

16 Jan

In 2024 I will continue at least one reading goal I set in 2023 — being deliberate in my reading. Last year I chose quality over quantity and was choosy in the books I read. I surpassed my Goodreads Challenge of 75 books, and it felt good to have read the books I really wanted to read over reading ALL THE BOOKS! 😉 I used to be a big audiobook listener, but I have gotten out of the habit. I intend to up that game in 2024 too.

In my quest to be more deliberate, I plan to read more from my own library — my physical shelves, my NetGalley shelf, my Kindle library, and my Audible library. Hope I can stick with it!

For more bookish goals: check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Books I Intend to Read from My Shelves in 2024

My book clubs’ selections will go a long way in helping me read from my shelves. Here are the books I already own:

American Queen by Vanessa Miller

Into The Fire by Irene Hannon

Letters from My Sister by Valerie Fraser Luesse

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

A River Between Us by Jocelyn Green

And these are books I intend to listen to that are already in my Audible Library.

Justice Betrayed by Patricia Bradley

Not by Sight by Kate Breslin

Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner

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Top 10 Tuesday — Reading Goals

3 Oct

Happy Tuesday! I used to be hard core about reading goals. I had an overall target to reach every year, as well as several (many) reading challenges I joined. But I am a bit compulsive and the goals/challenges became more important than actual reading. That’s when I adjusted downward the number of books I planned to read per year and began to limit the reviews/launches I agreed to participate in. I want to read what I want to read! That being said I still overestimate the time I have available for reading.

I used this week’s topic to look back at the past year’s TBR plans. I am currently on track to meet my Goodreads goal of 75 books. In fact I have read 69 books so far this year; they just aren’t all recorded on Goodreads yet.

My TBR goals are all over the place though:

90% read for Winter 22/23,

100% for Spring 23,

0% for Summer 23 (although in my defense, that list was more for highlighting the books that were being released during the summer, rather than a personal reading goal)

20% for Fall 23 (which is pretty good, since I published that list just 2 weeks ago)

My NetGalley shelf is out of control with unread books. I am not going to embarrass myself by publishing that big fail. I will say that I read 8 books over the summer that had been on the shelf far too long.

So basically, I am doing what I proposed to do — reading what I want to read when I want to read it! 😉 And I am unapologetic, because at my age I certainly don’t need to squander any reading time.

Because I hate not mentioning specific books, here are more I have added to my Fall 23 list. Read 2, added 4 — sounds about right. I might post an update on my progress.

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